Press & Bio

 

About

Photo by Heidi Rolf 2018

Memphis-born and Mississippi-bred, Matt Hectorne understands the musical pedigree of his home states. And while he is clearly indebted to the blues, country, and rock n' roll the MidSouth has created, he isn’t beholden to any one genre.  With a healthy dose of the Heartland rock of the 1970’s and 80’s, inspired by such artists as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bob Seger (along with the gospel and country he grew up on), Hectorne has developed an amalgam of sound both familiar and distinct. With that foundation, mixed with the 90’s and 2000’s indie-rock that shaped his teens and 20s, Hectorne has found a space in the slice of life storytelling and well-worn heart-on-the sleeve ethos that gave way to cultivating his craft and worldview. A craft that fans and industry alike have described as vulnerable yet confident and strikingly human. 

Feeling disenfranchised in his small conservative town, Hectorne moved across country at a young age to find kindred souls in his quest to create his own take on the American catalog. The ensuing years saw Hectorne form bands, narrowly evade homelessness, and fall into a lifestyle of partying and scraping by. Now newly sober, Hectorne comes out of his 20s with a fresh perspective on a life of making art for a living, marriage, and our very existence as impermanent beings. 

While not a purist by any means, Hectorne’s goal isn’t to push his music into the newest trends but to build upon the traditions laid before him and tell his own story through the lens of American music. The journey through which he guides the listener is one to be enjoyed in a moment of pause, canceling out the noise and flash of today’s media landscape. Succinctly put by influential music blog The Wild Honey Pie: "The formula is simple, as it should be, but also highly inviting.”

 

"Work" is out 1/19/18 on Hem & Haw Recordings.

 


What the Press Had to Say

"While Hectorne makes no attempt to bend the boundaries as far as a patented Americana sound is concerned, the success he achieves here is the result of him doing quite the opposite, that is, sounding like a revered veteran who mastered the form quite quickly in his career."

Full article

—Lee Zimmerman- Country Standard Time

 

"What do you sound like like if you’re inspired by such artists as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bob Seger and were doused in gospel and country as you grew up? And if you just happen to be Memphis-born and Mississippi-bred? You sound like Matt Hectorne." [1/9/2018]

—Jonathan Aird, Americana UK

 

"That mix of blues, country, folk, rock and indie is a pretty good Twangville resume." [1/10/18]

Full article

—Shawn Underwood, Twangville

 

"An impressive album from beginning to end, this “Work” is so good it ought to reap him due rewards."

—Lee Zimmerman, Country Standard Time

 

"Hectorne has a Rich McCulley/Todd Herfindal sense of melody, a Jackson Browne/Pure Prairie League kind of delivery, and an excellent selection of songs similar-but-not." [12/1/2017]

Full article

—Frank Gutch Jr. - No Depression

 

"'Only Way Into Your Heart' is a heart-felt ballad with beautiful guitars and confident vocals." [11/27/2017]

Full article

—Diamond Deposits

 

“Matt Hectorne soaked up all the black-dirt and green-leaf credibility he’d need to spin his own indie-rock catalog of here’s-what-I-know-by-now ballads— sneaky little stingers that start out with a story, and more often than not leave behind a languid lesson.” 

—Keith Harrelson, Moonlight on the Mountain Birmingham, AL

 

"Hectorne sings of whiskey and church altars in mellow tones, backed by a solid wall of guitars and drums. The formula is simple, as it should be, but also highly inviting."

Full article

—The Wild Honeypie

 

“[I]f there isn’t something you can’t relate to on this album, I’ll be impressed. In seven short songs Matt Hectorne [covers] a good majority of the human condition.”


—Yankee Calling